The Duke scandal and the rush to judgment

There is a near irresistible urge to believe what we want to believe, even in the face of conflicting evidence. Seldom has that regrettable impulse been demonstrated more starkly than in 2006 when three members of the Duke University lacrosse team were charged with raping a woman they had hired to perform at a party as an “exotic dancer.” The accused were white men from well-to-do Northern families and the accuser a poor local black woman with two young children to support. With its overtones of racism, regionalism, gender advantage and class privilege, the situation couldn’t have been more dramatic—or potentially explosive.

Primers on the nation's pastime Baseball: It's not just a game; it's an education. As we embark on a new season of baseball, it's a good time to consider how all-encompassing the sport has become. History, sociology, geography, math, science, and literature are all linked to the game, and this season's assortment of baseball books touches all these bases. As the new millennium approached, we...